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| Will meet separatists soon: Jethmalani | | ‘Want to open channels of dialogue with Kashmiris’ | | EATRLY TIMES REPORT
Srinagar, Apr 23 (KNS): Veteran BJP leader and noted lawyer , Ram Jethmalani who heads the recently revived Kashmir Committee has plans to meet the separatist leaders during the committee’s visit to Kashmir.
“We would soon meet separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and others, to work out solution to Kashmir issue”, he said to KNS in an exclusive interview.
Jethmalani said, “We want to open channels of dialogue with the people of the state to work out solutions to Kashmir issue. There are some misunderstandings between people of Kashmir and New Delhi. Our aim is to bridge the gap.”
Before leaving to Islamabad along with a group of five people, on the invitation of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Choudhary, Jethmalani said, “For resolution of Kashmir issue, friendship between India and Pakistan is a must. And I’m going to Pakistan to meet civil society members and leadership of that country to make environment conducive for a dialogue process.”
Jethmalani said that after coming back from Pakistan, Kashmir Committee would again visit the Valley in first week of May to interact with separatists. “As New Delhi appointed interlocutors couldn’t meet separatists, we would meet them so that they we can work out solution to the problem,” he said.
“A few of us had nearly a decade ago formed a Kashmir Committee to resolve the Kashmir problem that has bedeviled relations between India and Pakistan. We believe we had made significant progress and a solution appeared near at hand. But unfortunately, it was put on the back burner that time,” he added.Jethmalani said that Kashmir Committee had no affiliation with political party or with the government.
Asked why Dilip Padgonkar and Advocate Ashok Bhan weren’t part of the reviewed Kashmir Committee, he said, “Padgonkar is busy with his assignment as interlocutor and Bhan was busy with some personal assignments.”The Kashmir Committee was constituted way back in 2002 to reach out to the separatists.
Jethmalani’s visit to Pakistan comes after a peace mission from Pakistan comprising 130 eminent lawyers visited India and decided with the Supreme Court Bar Association of India to work towards peace and strengthening of democracy, and openly discuss contentious issues.
Academic and Editor Madhu Keshwar, who is convener of the Kashmir Committee told KNS that interlocutors couldn’t achieve any breakthrough on Kashmir. “Interlocutors couldn’t meet separatists, but we will meet everybody and won’t allow ego to come in between,” she said.Terming separatists as ‘key players’, Keshwar said, “We will make all out efforts to reach out to them.”She said that the work of the Committee on the ground had resulted in a extraordinary conference on Kashmir in New Delhi early last year where people from all political streams –both mainstream and separatists – had managed to agree on the PDP self-rule framework which laid out a formula for demilitarization, political restructuring and economic integration of the two parts of Kashmir.
”Unfortunately we couldn’t cash on the gains made in that extraordinary meeting, but some of us have been in touch with people on the ground in Kashmir and we want to open alternate channels of communication which can prevent many a misleading information that come out here in Delhi,” Keshwar said. ‘
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